Praying before Breakfast 1957 - 1961

"Praying before Breakfast" is a lithograph by Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan, who lived through a tumultuous period in Russian history, including the revolution and the rise of Stalinism. Kaplan was deeply interested in Jewish culture, particularly the traditions and daily lives of Jewish people in the Pale of Settlement. In this work, Kaplan invites us into a quiet, intimate moment. We see a man enveloped in a prayer shawl, presumably reciting his morning prayers. In the background, a woman seems to be preparing the morning meal. The visual texture of the lithograph gives the scene a dreamlike quality. Kaplan’s work often served as a form of cultural preservation, documenting the traditions and ways of life of a community facing displacement and persecution. In doing so, Kaplan asks us to reflect on the relationship between faith, family, and cultural identity in the face of social change.